Lion Tamarins of Brazil III

The golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas, has managed to adapt to humans more successfully than its relatives. Because they live  around humans, the way they are conserved and studied has changed.  They reproduce well in the cabrucas--cocoa plantations which are planted in the shade of natural forest. They eat and use a variety of trees and vegetation. It was once thought their conservation status could be adjusted to "threatened" instead of "endangered". New data shows that may not be advisable. In the past decade their numbers were thought to be between 15,000 and 20,000. Recent preliminary data indicates that number has fallen. The species has become extinct in a number of areas in its native Bahia and Minas Gerais states.

When forest fragments become too small, the phenomenon of border effect appears where the forest is exposed to weather and drys out. The resources used by the monkeys disappear and so do they.  Researchers estimate that a tamarin need  a minimum of one hundred acres on intact forest to survive, but this is not enough for a group to survive long term.Local people have become interested in the monkeys' plight. The Bahamian Lion Tamarin Conservation Initiative was begun to help the species caught between protected areas and private land. One of the programs goals is to speed the registration of private land, which aids conservation efforts. Participation of local landowners is essential if the golden-headed, also known as the Bahamian--tamarin is to be effectively conserved. It is a program the values the land and the cultural tradition of cocoa farming. The Bahamian is the state's symbol as the Golden is Rio de Janeiro's. Cabruqueiros--cocoa farmers--are rightly proud of such a beautiful species living along side them in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.